618 FLIGHT, 18 October 1957
No. 5 SQUADRON
A History of the "Fighting Fifth'
By JOHN YOXALL
PART I
ON Saturday last, October 12, No. 5 Squadron was disbanded.This was no new experience, because during 44 years'existence the squadron has been disbanded and re-formed
on several occasions. But this time there was a difference; for with
the advent of guided missiles and pilotkss aircraft it is possible
that no other body of men will ever proudly belong to the "Fight-
ing Fifth."
To mark the disbandment a parade was held, at which the squad-
ron standard was carried. The reviewing officer was one of No. 5's
most distinguished ex-members, A.V-M. H. J. Kirkpatrick,
S.A.S.O. at H.Q., 2nd T.A.F., who was with the squadron when
it was at Quetta in 1934. Another important visitor at the ceremony
was Col. Louis Strange, whose account of the squadron's earliest
days follows later in this article.
The origin of No. 5 Squadron is buried in the early days of
Service flying. On April 13, 1912, the Royal Flying Corps was
constituted by Royal Warrant and from dien onward took over
duties previously performed by the Air Battalion, Royal Engineers,
which had an airship and an aeroplane company. Under the com-
mand of Major H. R. M. Brooke-Popham, the aeroplane company
became No. 3 Squadron; and in August 1913 a single flight of this
unit, commanded by Major J. F. A. ("Josh") Higgins, became
No. 5 Squadron.
One of its pilots was Lt. G. I. Carmichael, who the previous
month had accompanied Lt. R. Cholmondeley to Colchester to
give demonstration and passenger flights to officers stationed in
the garrison there, with the hope of interesting them in the new
service.
Lt. Carmichael is now a retired group captain and for this history
has kindly consulted his log book and diary and raided his photo-
graph album. Thus he is able to give the following first-hand
account of the early days of No. 5 Squadron: —
After its formation at Netheravon, No. S Sqn. moved to Famboroughwith Maj. J. F. A. Higgins, D.S.O., Royal Artillery, in command, Capt.
D. G. Conner, R.A., as flight commander, and as pilots Lts. E. V.Anderson, Black Watch; R. O. Abercrombie, R.F.C. (SR); G. I.
Carmichael, R.A.; N. J. Gill, R.A.; H. F. Glanville, West India Regt.;L. C. Hordern, West African Frontier Force; F. G. Small, Connaught
Rangers; R. M. Vaughan, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers; and C. W. Wilson,Seaforths and R.F.C. (SR).
The squadron's aircraft were four Maurice Farman "Longhorns" (i.e.,pusher with elevator in front) with 70 h.p. Renaults; and three Avros
(50 h.p. Gnome), to which was added a Caudxon (60 h.p. Anzani). Shedsand workshops were on Jersey Brow and the landing ground was mainly
two straights at right angles, one running south up the hill to the build-ings of Military Wing H.Q. under Lt-Col. F. H. Sykes, 15th Hussars, on
the Farnborough main road, and the other running west to Laffan's Plain.
Ground and air were both rather congested because in addition to thesquadron's activities periodic sorties were made from the Royal Aircraft
Experimental Factory sheds, on the cast side, by experimental aircraftflown by Geoffrey de Havilland and H. R. Bus teed; and at uncertain
times a string of Cody kites would suddenly rise swinging into the air.In September 1913, No. 5 Sqn. with its Maurice Farmans took part
in the autumn manoeuvres; and early in 1914 additional officers arrived.New aircraft also came, including Sopwith two-seaters and Henri
Farmans (pusher)-—both with 80 h.p. Gnomes—and one S.E.2 (scoutexperimental), christened "the bullet" for its (alleged) speed of 100 m.p.h.
In January 1914, "B" Flight was formed under Capt. E. V. Anderson andin March "C" Flight under Capt. Carmichael. Lt. A. E. Borton, Black
Watch, joined the squadron in April.
Flying centred on getting familiar with new aircraft, climbing as highas possible (the Maurice Farmans took 58 minutes to 6,000ft and 1| hours
to their maximum of 7,250ft), cross-country flights to Salisbury Plain,etc., and visits to private houses.
Avros and H.F.s had disclosed most of their flaws in No. 3 Sqn. andwere popular and easy to fly; but the Sopwiths, though pleasant to fly,
had too many teething troubles. The simplicity of all these aircraft andof the 80 h.p. Gnome rotary seven-cylinder engine enabled squadron
personnel to carry out most repairs and some modifications, overhaulengines completely, and even to rebuild some of their own crashed
aircraft.
In April 1914, Cape E. V. Anderson in a Sopwith and Lt. C. W.
Wilson (with passenger) collided at 500ft over Farnborough Aerodrome.Lt. Wilson miraculously escaped with minor injuries and was cheerfully
flying again after a few weeks; but the other two were killed.
On May 19, King George V inspected the R.F.C. on Jersey Brow.All the pilots were presented and afterwards flew a circuit, machines
leaving the ground at one-minute intervals.
On May 28, No. 5 Sqn. moved to Netheravon for the concentrationof the Military Wing at its first and last training camp before the outbreak
of war. At this time it was equipped with one flight of Sopwiths andtwo flights of H.F.S.
Training at the Concentration Camp covered: (a) Tactical exercises,reconnaissance of areas for transport and troops, searching for a free
balloon, photography with hand cameras, and changing landing grounds.It was thought that reconnaissance might reasonably be undertaken at
2,000ft. (b) Speed, climb and short landing (over a tape) tests. H.F.(without armament) figures were: speed, 59 m.p.h.; climb to 2,000ft,
7i min, to 3,000ft, 18 min; landing over a 20ft high tape, 180 ydin a cross wind, (c) M.T. column runs (a novelty as the Army still had
horsed transport), (d) Committees to work out establishments for storesand personnel.
On July 6, 1914, No. 5 Sqn. moved to Fort Grange, Gosport, wherean advance party had erected portable R.E. V tents for the machines.
Conditions were primitive, the landing ground was partially levelledridge and furrow, and officers and men slept in stone gun-emplacements;
but Fort Grange was No. 5's first own home and everyone was delighted.
Lt. L. C. Hordern was killed and his passenger Sgt. Campbell seriouslyinjured when their H.F. spiralled into the ground, due (it was thought)
to a seat collapsing on to the controls. At the end of July the arrival ofthree 80 h.p. Gnome Avros, credited with a speed of 80 m.p.h. and a
climb to 3,000ft in 8 minutes, sealed the fate of the Sopwith two-seaterand established the Avro in place of the Sopwith as a future war machine;
but the fragility of all these aircraft—even of the Avro-^-was empha-sized when Lt. Abercrombie did a disappearing trick on his arrival from
Farnborough, sitting on the floor of his new Avro in which the seat hadsubsided.
Orders were received for Henri Farman controls to be moved backso that the observer could sit in front with a gun, S/Sgt. Chaney was
attached to give instruction on the Vickers water-cooled and the newLewis air-cooled machine guns, and the squad:on started to mobilize
on August 5, 1914.
Confident Outlook
The outlook of pilots in No. 5 might be mentioned here. It has beenstated that the R.F.C. expected that the war, with flying accidents and
enemy action, would result in 100 per cent pilot casualties within a fewweeks, and that to conserve personnel it was ruled there must never be
more than one pilot in the same machine. This may have been the Staffcalculation, and the "one pilot" rule may have existed in some squadrons;
but the pilots of No. 5 certainly had no such apprehension about casualtiesand failed to remember the "one pilot" rule even if they knew of it. And
anyway Maj. Higgins himself did not observe it. How to attack enemymachines was light-heartedly discussed in the mess, and the hopeful
Penn-Gaskell gave demonstrations of how he would range up alongsidethe enemy and loose off his machine gun; but the general atmosphere
was one of exuberance and optimism. Some expected to be home againby Christmas and one officer even left all his mufti in his chest of drawers
ready for his return to Gosport.
To the sombre Service types of M.T. a colourful mixture of civiliantransport was added, including Sunbeam, Mercedes and Renault touring
cars, a private two-seater coupe (complete with its owner, a Mr. Weedir.?of Guildford), a Maple van unmistakably labelled and an all-red one
loudly proclaiming The World's Appetizer. Each flight was a self-con-tained unit capable of being detached with its own M.T. workshop and
stores lorries, "A" Flight with four 80 h.p. Gnome Avros, and "B" and"C" each with four 80 h.p. Gnome H.F.s. Mobilization was virtually
completed by the evening of August 7 and the squadron stood ready tomove at short notice.
On August 12 pilots were issued with six miles to an inch maps ofFrance and Belgium and with sealed orders as to their destination; the
following day M.T. under Maj. Higgins embarked at Southampton; andon August 14 machines started via Shoreham and Dover for their flight
across the Channel via Boulogne to Amiens.
Some fell by the wayside. Lt. Brock forced-landed with engine troubiten miles north of Shoreham and Lts. Glanville and Abercrombie bot
crashed, the latter being concussed. Lt. C. W. Wilson, after enginetrouble and having secured another engine from C.F.S., made up for losi
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